Now back from our long road trip, we are three Roald Dahl books wiser. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I have to say, is now one of our family's absolute favorites. We had a blast reading that book and comparing it with both versions of the movie. We unanimously chose the movie starring Johnny Depp as our favorite, and it seemed to be truer to the book. Although, there were a few scenes that were not in the book, and we are wondering if they were at all influenced by Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, which we are all very excited to read next (thanks to K.C. for the suggestion of that one on my previous Roald Dahl post).

We also enjoyed reading Fantastic Mr. Fox, but the kids were not as impressed by the movie. They are too young to understand the humor, and they got bored half way through. James and the Giant Peach was also a fun read, and the movie is decent. We didn't have a chance to finish Matilda yet, but we will soon see if that becomes a new favorite, since my three little girls are sure to be excited about the the fact that the main character is a girl.

During the holidays, families often spend time in front of the TV. Whether it's watching football games or holiday specials, watching TV together is better. For one thing, who doesn't love to cuddle together on the couch when the weather is frightful and just enjoy relaxing together? Also, when parents watch TV or movies with kids, they have an opportunity to discuss the show and point out things that may or may not coincide with the family's values. But that's not all, effective co-viewing can actually help kids develop thinking skills and teach them important life lessons.

Have you ever watched a commercial with a preschooler? They are almost as enthralled with the commercials as they are with the actual show, and they believe everything that is said. I remember the first time that my preschooler looked at me during a commercial and said, "You really need that, huh Mom?" and the astonished look on her face when I explained that I didn't like that particular product. She had just heard the man on TV state that it worked wonders. We had a long talk about what commercials are and what they are trying to do. For a while after that, every time she would see a commercial, she asked me, "Is that true, Mom?"

Teaching kids to think about what they are being sold while they watch TV helps them learn to analyze media and motives, and it's not just the commercials. many programs portray things in a way that is not true to real life, and our innocent children are down right flabbergasted when they find out that it isn't real. Discuss these things with your kids, and ask them about what they think would happen if people behaved in the real world like they do on TV. Often, you can do this in a way that is natural and fun, so they don't even know that you're creating a teaching moment, but they will be predicting, analyzing, and hypothesizing -- practicing thinking skills that will help them in many areas of life.

Deciding to brave the crowds today, I headed out before dawn and hit the stores. But by 8:30 a.m. the lines had grown so long, I had to put back my things and call it a day. It's times like these when I'm really grateful for the Internet. Comparison shopping is easy, and you don't have to wait in line. Movies are especially easy and cheap to find online. So, if you're like me and have given up on the stores, here are some movie ideas that make great stocking stuffers or gifts for kids:

• DVDs/Blu-rays for Preschoolers
• DVDs/Blu-rays for Kids Ages 6-9
• Disney Classic Re-releases - 2009
• Awesome Collector's Editions and DVD/Blu-ray Gift Sets - 2009 (Many of these titles are great gifts for the whole family or for fans of the individual movies/TV shows)
• New Christmas Movie Releases

I loved this recent article on Wired.com "Top 10 Bad Messages From Good Movies". Geek Dad points out some of the underlying questionable messages in popular films. For example, he points out that The Little Mermaid teaches that "It's OK to completely change your physical appearance and way of life for the person you love." It's both fun and fascinating, not to mention important, to really consider what messages movies send to kids.

I was thinking about this very thing when I saw New Moon. Kids are really into the Twilight saga, and lots of them are going to be seeing the movie. What messages does it send to kids? -- Having boys sneak into your room at night is exciting and romantic; if a guy loves you, he says things like, "I will never hurt you" and "You're everything to me" all the time; and breaking up with your boyfriend can send you into a deep depression for months at a time. Anyone remember the book "Madame Bovary"? Young girls could get a pretty warped sense of what love is like from watching these movies.

Yeah, it's just entertainment, but it's up to us to make sure our kids develop good common sense through real world experiences and discussions with us so that all of these messages from the media they are exposed to don't get out of context. For this reason and many more, it's just a matter of fact that monitoring, utilizing, and limiting kids' media exposure is a major component of parenting in this day and age.